Flag football tournament to be held at U.Va. in memory of Barrow

The Baltimore Sun

The fourth annual Will Barrow Memorial Flag Football Tournament will be held Saturday at Virginia's historic Lambeth Field with proceeds going to the UVa HELP Line, a nonprofit, student-run crisis hotline. Play is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.

Established in memory of Barrow, a former Cavaliers defensive midfielder who was found dead of an apparent suicide in November 2008, the UVa HELP Line is an anonymous, confidential telephone service for residents of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the University of Virginia. It is affiliated with the university's Madison House. HELP strives to provide callers with an empathetic ear for any sort of issue they wish to discuss and to find long-term services in the community for callers, such as counseling services, medical services or drug treatment programs.

After the tournament raised nearly $10,000 nationwide during the inaugural event, tournament founder Max Pomper, an older brother of late Loyola attackman Adam Pomper, was given the IMLCA Boston Market Humanitarian Award for his efforts.

The point people for this year's tournament are junior Bobby Hill, fourth-year Blake Riley and Brian Pomper, a senior wide receiver on the Virginia football team and a younger brother of Max Pomper.

Barrow was considered one of the top defensive midfielders in the country throughout his career and was a member of the Cavaliers' 2006 NCAA champion team. As a fourth-year player in 2008, he was a captain of a team that advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. During his senior season, he finished with a career-high 28 ground balls, scoring seven goals and adding three assists. After the season he was selected in the second round of the Major League Lacrosse draft by the Chicago Machine and appeared in five games during his rookie year.

Saturday's seven-on-seven tournament costs $250 per team with a roster limit of 10 people per squad. All participants will receive an orange and blue bracelet that reads "Remember Will Barrow," with the hotline number, 434-295-TALK, inscribed on the inside and a barbecue lunch.¿¿

All inquiries can be sent to rph3ah@virginia.edu. Donations are welcome via checks payable to: Madison House. Please write on the memo line: "UVa HELP Line."